


Into the Fray

by anohmaly



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: #Murphamy, #SeaMechanic, #ShallowValley, #The100Rewrite, #TheRing, #Wonkru, #clexa - Freeform, #the100, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25767577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anohmaly/pseuds/anohmaly
Summary: { a clexa fan fiction by @skyykruu and @astralkru on twitter }
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/John Murphy, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Luna/Raven Reyes, Monty Green/Harper McIntyre, Octavia Blake/Niylah
Kudos: 17





	Into the Fray

**i. I'll Shed a Tear for You**

┌  
**Location: The Bunker**

_**6 years ago** _

Clanging.

Shouting.

Buzzing.

The deafening sound of the chaos weaved its way through the walls of the bunker’s office. Albeit barely coherent, it set the migraine that forcibly took shelter in her skull ablaze — not unlike the kindling that used to light the flame atop Polis tower.

 _Well, the kindling that_ was _used._ Lexa thought. But even that thought seemed to gradually slice its way through her brain.

As if triggered by her thoughts — a piercing clang echoed throughout the room, followed by the previously muffled sounds fully amplified. She looked toward the door, only to see Indra.

“ _Heda_ —” she started to say, before Lexa’s glare wrapped itself around her vocal cords.

She knew what Indra had come to say. It was time to lead these people. Ever since _Skaikru_ had betrayed the clans — again — Lexa was compelled to work twice as hard to ensure peace. Octavia had suggested ridding the clans of their titles and renaming the alliance _Wonkru_ , but Lexa knew better than to dishonour her predecessors who had founded their culture.

And it wasn’t like Lexa didn’t know how to maintain peace; She knew that this was to be her fate years before the _Fleimkepa_ scouts entered her home, leaving her parents bereaved and desolate. It had been decided the moment she was born that she had to sacrifice herself for these people — be it through her blood or through her heart.

Lexa brought her hands together in front of her, tracing the scarred prose of her fate nestled in her palm. She furrowed her eyebrows and walked toward Indra, gesturing for her to open the door as she concealed her migraine in the corner of her mind with all her other weaknesses.

As she walked out of the door, the crowd’s decibel gradually decreased. A few exclamations of her title remained, until she raised her hand in a gesture that was clearly interpreted by the crowd, as in the next moment she was embraced by silence.

She held onto the relief of the moment, only to be met by the sudden urge to speak.

“As you all know, _Praimfaya_ has befallen us once again,” She began, “and it is now our duty to ensure that we survive these next few years — not for us, but for all humanity. Let us begin.”

She took a deep breath, and continued, "There are 6 levels in this bunker. Each level will be home to two of the clans in the coalition. Level A, _Sangedakru_ and _Trishanakru_. Level B, _Podakru_ and _Louwoda Kliron Kru_. Level C, _Trikru_ and _Skai_ —”

The realisation hit Lexa like an incoming blow to her sword, cutting her words short.

Her mind’s eye began to bloom with the vision of a blue sky poured into those familiar shells, contrasted by the blazing golden strands of the sun as it delivered a blow just as hard as the one before.

Longing drenched her thoughts. _Cl-_

“Weakness.” A voice stated, right on cue. She recognised the voice, even if she had never physically seen its owner.

As the previous commander’s voice faded, it swallowed the vibrance that coated Lexa’s mind just moments ago.

She cleared her throat after what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only a few seconds.

“ _Skaikru_.” her voice cracked, but she didn’t have to hear the warning this time. She continued telling her people where to eat, where to sleep, how to live. And as she let the last syllable of her instructions leave her lips, she knew.

Life could never be about more than just surviving for her.

_**Present** _

Lexa’s eyes shot open, the remains of the nightmare she had just witnessed tracing a path along the crevice between her neck and shoulder. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, hoping it would take the dream along with it.

It didn’t.

As she came to her senses, she realised what she saw — memories. She could make out a few brief flashes — each more daunting than the other.

War, famine, pandemic.

Death.

The commanders were showing these memories to her for a reason. _Kongeda_ , or the Coalition, could only survive so many years. Lexa had managed to keep the unrest between the clans at a minimum for the past five years, but she knew there was little she could do now.

She was supposed to find a way out.

A gentle whisper attempted to break the silence, “Couldn’t sleep?”

As if on command, Lexa gently pushed herself up — swinging her legs across the bed — and placed her feet on the cold ground, mimicking her hesitation to answer. She looked toward the direction of the voice and was greeted by Niylah's warm features caressed by the soft white rays of light coming from the lamp next to her.

She was on the bunk right next to Lexa’s, half-facing her as she gently ran her fingers through the raven strands of her sleeping girlfriend’s hair. The latter was fast asleep on the bunk they shared, a soft whistle lacing each breath.

Lexa took a deep breath and attempted to run her fingers through the unsalvageable knots in her hair before answering with a shrug.

“Are you okay?” Niylah probed further, but Lexa’s stiff exterior refused to let her in.

“I’m fine,” Lexa huffed, irritation cementing itself on each syllable, “You’re not sleeping.”

The words were more of a statement than a question. Niylah smiled, adjusting her vision toward the girl softly stirring under her palm.

“You’re not the only one who has nightmares.” She clarified, before returning her gaze toward the troubled leader.

“My people depend on me. I have to fulfil my duty, and that requires sacrifice. You know that,” Lexa replied, releasing eye contact before continuing, “They mean no harm.”

Niylah knew she was referring to the commanders.

“The mighty _Heda_ and her responsibilities,” She chuckles, mockery evident at the mention of Lexa’s title, “but even commanders need sleep, you know.”

God, she was sick of being referred to by that title, and Niylah knew that. Over the years, the two had formed a strong bond. Niylah knew Lexa would never tell her how she truly feels or what the commanders show her, but she also knew that she needed to ask either way. Even if her answers were always rich in ambiguity.

Lexa sighed, half due to the relief of letting her guard down and half due to annoyance at the impracticality of her friend’s suggestion. Despite that, even though she would never admit it, she was grateful for it. She loved listening to Niylah talk for hours; be it about her cart, her girlfriend or just how much it sucked being stuck in here.

Contradictory as it may be, it distracted her from the unbearable brutality of that truth.

The aforementioned soft breaths halted to a stop and were replaced by an agonising gasp, and just like that Niylah’s attention shifted.

“Hey.” Niylah gently cooed, placing her palm on the girl’s jaw.

“What is it?” Octavia coarsely whispered.

“It was just a nightmare. It’s okay, you’re safe.” Niylah replied.

Those words seemed to spell themselves out on Lexa’s lungs.

 _The one night I let my guard down._ Lexa thought. She could feel _her_ crawling out of hiding, making her way up her throat. But the all too familiar word blasted in her head. One voice, two voices, three. Before it could increase, she averted her gaze from the couple and nestled herself back into the mattress.

She wished that when she woke up, it would’ve transformed itself into her embrace.

The commanders, for once, ceased their warnings. It had been years since Lexa had let herself be weak.

 _Just tonight, I promise._ She urged, turning away from Niylah and letting her tears leave the trails of a forgotten touch on her face.

Although her wish didn’t — no — couldn’t come true, she knew that she could always dream of the impossibility of that thought. And she did.

At this moment, Lexa was held. She hadn’t been held in a long, long time.

┘

┌  
**Location: The Ring**

The sounds of Murphy and Harper sparring echoed through the hallway where Bellamy was walking to the common room.

“Aha!” Harper yelled, standing over Murphy.

“Good job McIntyre,” Murphy said, grabbing her hand as she helped him get back on his feet.

“What, you wanna be next Blake?” Harper said, jokingly threatening Bellamy. He laughed and scratched the side of his head.

“She gets cocky when she wins,” Murphy said as he greeted his boyfriend.

Harper grabbed her towel and slung it over her shoulder. “Alright boys, I’m gonna go shower.”

Just as she left, Emori came in.

“Hey love birds, dinner’s ready,” She smiled.

“You know you don’t have to keep calling us that,” Murphy cringed.

Emori shrugged. “I’d like to.” She laughed and started towards the kitchen.

The two stood up.

“What? You breaking up with me?” Bellamy asked, throwing his arm around Murphy.

“I will if I have to,” He rolled his eyes.

They walked into the kitchen where the rest of the group was sitting. Monty had papers laid out across the table and seemed to be studying them. Bellamy peered over his shoulder.

“Monty- “ He said, almost sounding concerned. Murphy furrowed his eyebrows and looked up from his bowl of algae.

Monty silenced Bellamy, writing down some math equations.

The group exchanged looks. Harper, who was sitting next to her boyfriend, intently watched him work.

“If my calculations are correct…” Monty said, exhaling heavily and setting his pen down. He paused, looking back at the sheet.

“Monty, what is it?” Harper questioned, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Monty looked up, as if he just now realized everyone had been watching him work. “It’s gonna work.” He looked at Bellamy.

Bellamy covered his face with his hand in relief. “Oh my god.”

Emori and Echo looked at each other. Murphy stood up.

“Bell what is it?”

Bellamy took a moment and turned to his boyfriend. “We’re going home.”

┘

┌  
**Location: Shallow Valley**

Luna braided Raven’s hair as the light from the fire flickered, lighting up the darkness around them. Raven had a somber look on her face, staring up at the sky as her head rested in Luna’s lap. Luna knew when Raven was upset, even if she did her best not to show her emotions.

“You’ll see them soon,” Luna said, continuing what she was doing.

Raven put her hand on her head where Luna was braiding as if to stop her. She sat up. The tears that were missing before finally started falling.

“Hey,” Luna pulled her in close, wrapping her arms around her. She caressed her hair as Raven cried into her shoulder.

The separation had hit Raven the hardest. Her friends were everything to her, and even though she dreaded the idea of being on the ring, she longed to be with them. She trusted Monty to know what to do with the technology up there. He was what would keep them safe. Memories of him ran through her mind. He had saved them all so many times before, but something deep inside made her stomach sink. She was worried.

Her hair was sticking to her face now. Shallow Valley was her home now, and Luna’s embrace made her feel safe here. She pulled away, wiping her tears with the palm of her hand,

“I don’t know why I keep doing this,’ Raven half-laughed, not out of joy, but out of her own self-pity.

“You can’t blame yourself. I know you miss them,” Luna gently grabbed her girlfriend’s hand. “Don’t beat yourself up, okay?”

Raven nodded, standing up. She started collecting bigger logs to smother the fire with. Luna rolled up the mat the two were sitting on after brushing off the grass.

“They’re coming back,” Luna set the mat down and helped Raven with the logs. “Soon.”

Raven didn’t respond. They put out the fire and started back towards the old gas station, where Clarke and Madi were already asleep.

As they approached the gas station, they saw one lantern still glimmering through the fogged windows. Luna pushed open the creaky door, followed by Raven. It was Clarke.

Clarke held up a finger to her lips and pointed to Madi, who was already asleep in her cot. Raven nodded, getting into her own.

“You’re still up?” Luna asked. It was unusual for Clarke to be up this late, as she was always on breakfast duty at sunrise.

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep,” Clarke continued scribbling the outline of the person she was drawing.

“Lexa?” Luna asked, sitting next to Clarke. The picture wasn’t done, but Luna knew.

Clarke smiled, setting down the pencil she was using. She closed her book and set it on the table next to the bed. Her body language was enough to show Luna she wasn’t interested in the conversation.

Luna got into the cot she shared with Raven. She gazed at her girlfriend who was already passed out, and as she did, she felt herself doze off.

Streaks of orange light lit up the room. Raven sat up and looked around. Madi and Clarke were gone, and Luna was still asleep next to her. She quietly got up, slid on her shoes, and walked outside. She inhaled the fresh morning air, noticing the wetness of the ground. It must have rained last night.

She heard giggles coming from the woods nearby and she smiled. Clarke and Madi came into view, each holding buckets of fresh rainwater. She jogged to go meet them,

“Here, let me get that,” Raven said as she took one of the buckets from Madi. “How long have you guys been up?”

“About an hour,” Clarke responded. “We collected some berries for breakfast.” She nodded towards the table where four bowls were sitting out.

“They’re in season now! They’re a lot sweeter than they were last month,” Madi said excitedly as she ran to go eat.

Clarke and Raven set the buckets down outside the gas station. Clark ran into the gas station and came back out with the radio in her hand.

“Well, I’m off. Mind keeping an eye on Madi while I’m gone?” Clarke asked, already heading off to the lookout.

“Sure.”

Madi was already halfway done with breakfast. Raven picked up her bowl and started eating the brightly colored berries.

“Slow down or you’ll have a stomach ache,” Raven laughed, watching Madi enjoy the fruit. Madi glanced up as if to say ‘sorry’ to her aunt. Luna came out of the gas station, joining them at the table. She set her hand on Madi’s shoulder as she sat down.

“Where’s Clarke?” Luna asked, grabbing the third bowl.

“She’s off to call her friends again,” Madi set her bowl down. Luna and Raven glanced at each other but decided not to get into details with Madi. “I’m going to go swimming,” Madi said, running inside to change.

The two watched her and smiled. “Are you doing okay?” Luna asked Raven.

“I’d rather not talk about it right now,” Raven stacked her empty bowl on top of Madi’s. “I don’t want her to know I’m not happy. She deserves more than that.” Raven gestured towards the gas station.

“She knows,” Luna responded.

Raven looked at her a little shocked, but that expression quickly turned into an understanding nod. Madi came through the door.

“Are you coming?” She laughed, asking Luna and Raven.

“We’re right behind you!” Raven smiled as Madi started towards the river.

Just as Madi was out of view, Clarke came back. She was looking at the ground and walking quickly, almost angrily. Luna and Raven exchanged a look, then followed Clarke inside,

“What happened? Did you get through?!” Raven asked a little too eagerly.

“No, Raven! I haven’t gotten through in two thousand one hundred and ninety-nine days,” Clarke responded loudly and sternly. ”Not to Lexa, not to Bellamy, Monty-“ Luna and Raven were both shocked. Clarke hadn’t had an outburst in a while. Raven froze, and her face went numb.

“Clarke-” Luna tried to console her but was cut off.

“Don’t,” Clarke put her hand up to stop Luna from coming any closer. She was visibly fighting off tears.

Raven snapped out of her daze. “Clarke please,” her own voice started breaking. “We need you to talk to us,” She corrected herself, stepping past Luna and closer to Clarke. “I need you to talk to me.”

Clarke put her hands up to her face as she broke down into tears. There was gravel in her voice. “I’m trying Raven,” she tried to compose herself but it wasn’t working. She was sobbing and her voice was squeaky. “I’m trying so hard, every single day. To be there for Madi, to keep an act up when I don’t even know if there’s an end.”

Raven embraced her. Clarke was shaking too much to hug her back. At this moment, Clarke was held. She hadn’t been held in a long, long time.

┘


End file.
